What to Expect From Bears OT Darnell Wright

PBLK: Pass Blocking

The "Pass Blocking" factor includes quarterback time to throw, pass block efficiency, pass block efficiency in true pass sets, and the rate at which the player was asked to play in true pass sets. This factor is the most heavily weighted at 30 percent of the final similarity score.

RBLK: Run Blocking

The "Run Blocking" factor includes each offense's run rate (i.e. Tennessee ran the football 43 percent of the time), the percentage of zone runs versus gap runs, the PFF run blocking grade on zone runs, and the PFF run blocking grade on gap runs. This factor is the second most heavily weighted at 25 percent of the final similarity score.

Size and Athleticism

These two factors combine to account for 40 percent of the final score.

For the "Size" portion, I used height, weight, arm length, and hand size. Hand size has a much lighter weight than the other factors, for obvious reasons.

For the athleticism portion, I used all the athletic tests that Wright completed between the combine and his pro day. This includes the vertical jump, broad jump, 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, and shuttle run. I excluded bench press, because including it would have cut the comparison pool in half.

Experience

This factor is only here to make more subtle differentiations between the data. It is only weighted at 5 percent of the final grade. This includes the player's age, number of games played at the college level, and number of years starting at the college level.

Most Comparable Players to Darnell Wright

These four players were the only players to grade at 50 percent similarity or better. So we will make this simple and take the average of the group to set our baseline for Darnell Wright's rookie season.

For his rookie season, we should expect an average pass protector who manages to get the job done in true pass sets. The average of these four comparable players shows an above-average pass-blocking grade, but below-average pressure and sack rates. That is likely due to better performances late in the season outweighing more lopsided struggles earlier in the season.

The run game is where the comparisons get weird. That is because Wright is one of PFF's worst-graded run blockers to be drafted in the first round. But I think this has a lot to do with Tennessee's rushing offense. In 2022, the Vols' run blocking was graded 58.9 on the team level. Meanwhile, Wright received a run-blocking grade of 65. That was good for second-best amongst the team's offensive linemen. In 2021, Wright was the third-highest-graded run blocker on the team. I have a feeling that their RPO-heavy offense has a negative impact on the run-blocking grades. But, it is worth questioning whether that offense might have limited his experience as a run blocker.

The outlook is strong for Wright as a pass blocker. However, it is rare to see a tackle grade so well in pass protection but so poorly as a run blocker. The most comparable players to Wright as a pass blocker are two-time All-Pro Tristen Wirfs and 2022 draft pick Charles Cross. But the most comparable run blocker is between Kaleb McGary and Austin Jackson.

Ultimately, I see Penei Sewell as the most comparable player to Darnell Wright. These two are clearly similar in pass-blocking ability, size, and athleticism. While they do not compare well in the run-blocking and experience categories, I believe that size, athleticism, and pass-blocking ability are the most important factors. And while run blocking does matter, if a player has the size and athleticism, then I trust that they can improve their run blocking grades.